Ambulance Riders Can Breathe Easier

BROOKSVILLE - As Hernando County grows, the number of people who require nonemergency fire department transports to hospitals or other treatment facilities increases.

Some transport patients, because of their condition, need respiratory ventilators to help them breathe during the ride, which can take up to one hour at times.

But there's a problem: Hernando County Fire Rescue District ambulances were not equipped with ventilators.

That problem was solved Tuesday when county commissioners voted 5-0 to spend $36,179 on six portable ventilators for county ambulances.

Because of time constraints, the county waived the formal competitive bid process for the equipment, County Purchasing Director James Gantt said. By purchasing refurbished ventilators, the county was able to save taxpayers about $4,000, Gantt said.

The ventilator purchase also fits in with a consultant's study that recommended county fire departments strive for uniformity of emergency equipment and the need for cross-training among emergency personnel.

"It's in keeping with the premise that we consolidate and incorporate where we can and save money where we can," County Commissioner David Russell said.

Currently, county paramedics had to request help from the hospital, which would provide a nurse to accompany the patient or at least supply a spare ventilator. Failing that, the paramedic would have to get permission from the patient's doctor to remove the patient from the ventilator during transport, according to Frank DeFrancesco, assistant county fire chief.

However, since the number of transports has increased, the hospitals can no longer provide personnel or equipment to handle the call load.

That has caused "major delays or changes in the level of patient care," DeFrancesco wrote in a memo to Gantt.

The Impact Univent 754 Eagle ventilators are the same ones used by critical care units and private ambulance companies in the area. Bayflite officials also use them on their helicopter transports.

Because all agencies have already trained on that particular unit, there should be a smooth transition in the event Hernando County experiences a large-scale emergency, DeFrancesco said.

Spring Hill Fire Rescue District Interim Chief Mike Rampino said his department uses a different, smaller-style version of the Univent 754.

The county's ventilator is designed more for long-distance, longer-term transports, Rampino said.